As the NextGen series got under way last night, how did Aston Villa fair against highly fancied Sporting Lisbon?
After the success of last season which saw Aston Villa beating Ajax, Fenerbahce and Rosenberg on their way to a Quarter final exit to Marseille hopes are high that the club can continue that success into this year’s edition of the NextGen series.
Last night saw them take on Sporting Lisbon in the first round of this season fixtures and unfortunately the Midland’s side struggled against the Portuguese side. Villa struggled to get a foothold on the match despite taking an early lead after Michael Drennan headed in Josh Barton’s cross from close range in the 31st minute.
It was Carlos Mane of Sporting Lisbon however who dominated the game, his shot cannoned off the bar into path of Ecklino Le who nodded Sporting level before Mane himself capitalised on some sloppy Villa defending to give the Portuguese side the lead just before half time. The game was up on the hour mark when Mane was again involved, being fouled in the box by Villa’s Liam Bateman, Tobias Figneinedo powering home the resultant penalty.
Villa will hope to overcome this early setback and qualify from Group 4 ahead of PSV, Celtic and Sporting.
So with last year’s star performer Gary Gardner no longer available along with Samir Carruthers and Daniel Johnson who can we look out for in Villa’s NextGen campaign this season.
Jack Grealish
The Birmingham born Irish winger is one of the standout players in this squad and had a monumental season last year for someone at the tender age of only 16. His direct style of play and crossing ability saw him put in a string of standout performances in the youth and reserve teams last term and even make the bench for the senior team in March for the game against Chelsea. Last term he was used mainly as a sub during the NextGen campaign but this year he will certainly be a starter in the campaign.
Michael Drennan
Scored against Sporting and there should be plenty more where that came from. The former hurler and Irish youth international from Kilkenny scored 5 goals in 13 reserve appearances last season and scored against Rosenberg in last season’s NextGen campaign. With great service provided he will score goals for fun.
Juan Serrano
The attacking midfielder from Catalonia are words that every fan dreams about hearing about a youngster in their midst’s and Juan Serrano is just that. As you’d expect he has great technical skills and over the last couple of seasons has started adapting to the physical aspects of English football. He scored on his debut in 2011 but will be hoping to improve this season and make an impact on the NextGen campaign as his contract runs out at the end of this season.
Graham Burke
Tipped by former boss Alex McLeish as a future star Burke is yet another Irish youth international ready to make an impression this season. It remains to be seen just how many appearances he makes in the NextGen as he has been training with the first team in pre-season and is included in the photo reel alongside fellow graduates Agbonlahor, Delfouneso and Weimann for the upcoming season.
Jordan Graham
Another talented winger at Villa he made forum headlines after going on a 5 game scoring streak at the turn of the year. He has represented England at youth level and at only just 17 is a huge prospect for the future. His involvement will be essential to any success Villa have in this year’s NextGen Series.
image: © mollyig
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